Only in boxing.
Marcos Maidana says he has an unusual keepsake courtesy of former two-time opponent Floyd Mayweather – one of the boxing king’s teeth, which the hard-punching Argentine claims he knocked out of Mayweather’s mouth in their 2014 rematch.
Mayweather acknowledged that Maidana stunned him with a big right hand in Round 3 of that fight but denies he lost a tooth.
Maidana posted a photo on Instagram that appears to show a tooth set in a piece of jewelry that he says flew out of the mouth of his rival. Videos of that moment aren’t conclusive. You can see for yourself below.
Mayweather said after the fight, according to The Mirror: “In the third round, when he hit me with that shot after the bell, it was a real good shot. It got my attention. It was nothing I never felt before, but it was a really good shot which got my attention.”
Did he lose a tooth? “No, he didn’t knock my teeth out. Not at all! He’s a strong guy, he’s a good puncher, but no, as far as my teeth missing, absolutely not.”
Maidana gave Mayweather a surprisingly tough time in their first fight, in May 2014, losing a majority decision that earned him a second shot at the then-No. 1 fighter in the world. He lost a unanimous decision in the rematch four months later in spite of tooth issue.
Maidana, 36, reportedly is making a comeback. His handlers have said that they have been in contact with the retired Mayweather about a third fight but nothing has come of it.
Mayweather last fought in August 2017, when he stopped MMA star Conor McGregor.